Comic Book Review: Charmed #2

by Jideobi Odunze

If you ever wanted more Charmed, this is the book to have in your pull-list. The first issue was satisfying in the way this creative team approached bringing us back into this universe. Easy to pick up on if you’re new to these stories, and familiar to those who really followed the events of the show. We got an understanding of the current struggles in their personal lives, the struggles in their lives as witches, and what to expect by the current status quo of their enemies.

This second issue continues with what we are now beginning to follow unraveled about the villainous Djall. They are definitely staying true to what we come to expect from villains like himself. It is hard to argue that a lot of the big bads tend to be males who take advantage of what it means to be charming in this world. I mean that is to say ignoring the fact that this is a vampire we are dealing with. His dialogue so far is the best written of these two issues. They did great in making Djall present himself as someone who thinks steps ahead and knows what to say in the moment for the best result. The only predictability you could sense is what would eventually be his undoing. Now with that said, I do love the way he also is not your ordinary vampire who simply has a blood lust. He is one of those who comes in with a grand scheme, and one that as well comes with a unique application of magic to his desires.

Getting back to the sisters, I absolutely adore the shenanigans you can walk into. That first scene just came so natural when the sporadic nature of Paige catches you by surprise. What she did was so in line with what she would do as the one of the trio who expresses the most freedom in using magic. The others’ reactions were natural as well. A perfect blend of what comes to mind if you walked into a sibling doing what Paige did.

Transitioning into this second issue, things are moving more episodic. Not in a bad way either because sometimes you have to say true to form even when changing to another medium. It works here when you have these different moving pieces to work with and you want to make sure that everything going on matters. They knew the right time to cut between scenes that wouldn’t take you out of the story.

I would say that the art team found their footing with this second issue. In fact faster than I would have assumed as sometimes it might take an extra issue or two just to nail down the look of these characters and their distinction. Where perspective was the only distraction from quality in the first issue, this one they take more advantage of what happens when you put more focus on what you can handle within any given panel. The sisters look way closer to their tv counterparts and their personalities are beginning to shine through the way they are captured as well. Paige clearly you see the energy resonating from her, and Piper you can jut feel that look of disapproval when she is dealing with all the things which manage to get under her skin as the older sister. I think if anything caught my attention more, it had to be how beautiful the art is for the exhibit. It’s weird to say this, though there is an appreciation for art within art so to speak. I definitely have to hand it to Heartwork Studios for the stunning selection of vibrant colors mixed with those of some quality saturation. I don’t think this could truly come together without a color artist who knows how to make things pop. I only think that down the road the skin tones could see more depth and variety to them because some look too similar at times.

The story is picking up with momentum through Charmed #2. As I mentioned, the episodic approach to this works for Charmed as a book. From here they just need to keep pressing all the things that we like about exploring the lives of the Charmed Ones and the foes who know how to create a challenge.

Comic editor for Geeked Out Nation. I'm a well rounded guy though comics are big for me. Doesn't matter the publisher for me as long as the series is entertaining. X-Men fan(#TeamCyke), Halo fan, LARPer, and fantasy geek. Follow me on Twitter @NewGenXMan. Email at siphen_x@yahoo.com